Follow Their Journey: Two Former Models Celebrate 25 Years of Friendship by Running All 7 Races!

Follow Their Journey: Two Former Models Celebrate 25 Years of Friendship by Running All 7 Races!

Meet Tami and Gaby. Two former models and best friends on a mission to change their lives and celebrate 25 years of friendship by running all seven of the 2016 Destination Races Wine Country Half Marathon series!

We’ll be checking in with them regularly this season as they train and prepare for each race, to cheer them along on their adventure!

So! How did you two meet?

Tami: Local modeling work in Phoenix first brought us together. We were often cast together in local department store fashion shows and print campaigns.

Gaby: One memorable one was a catalog for band and choir uniforms. Not exactly the glamorous work we imagined for ourselves and our burgeoning modeling careers!

Have either of you run a race before?

Gaby: No! We are complete novices. We asked ourselves, “What is the most unlikely thing we could do to get outside our comfort zones and celebrate our 25th year of friendship?” The answer was running…and moreover, racing!

Tami: The finish line Wine and Music Festival is our main motivator!

How did you come up with the idea of running all seven races?

Tami: We have always loved to travel. Within seconds of seeing the list of destinations featured in the DR series, we knew we wanted to experience each one together, especially from the perspective of “wine travel!”

Gaby: We backpacked together in Europe during college in 1993, so it’s a great opportunity to travel together again, discovering areas so close to home but so diverse in their beauty and sights. (PIC #3)

What are your goals? What are you each hoping to take from this experience?

Tami: Our overarching reason for participating in this epic seven-race experience is to accomplish something together that we can be really proud of.

Gaby: We have individual goals as well. I was recently divorced from my college sweetheart and I’m hoping that this experience will raise my spirits and help me emerge from my funk.

Tami: I also have an underlying goal: to lose 30 pounds this year and become healthier, stronger and more active. Completing all seven races provides a target that will help us both get to a happier spot in life.

Do you have any worries or fears going into this adventure?

Gaby: We’re afraid of oversleeping and missing the start!

Tami: …and then we’re terrified of just about everything else: pulling a muscle, locating a restroom, pulling over to the water station without tripping our fellow racers, chafing, blisters, scabby knees, and getting nudged off the course if we are too slow. To name a few!

What are you most looking forward to/excited about?

Gaby: We are most excited to spend time together in phenomenal places around the country. You should also know that Tami is hilarious.

Tami: And Gaby will laugh at just about anything!

Gaby: …so we look forward to laughing all 13.1 miles from start to finish!

Tami: All in all, the sense of accomplishment at the end of each race and at the finish of the whole series will likely turn out to be the best reward.

You can also follow Gaby and Tami’s journey at FriendsOnFoot.blogspot.com, on Instagram @FriendsOnFoot, and on Facebook @FriendsOnFoot.